In the 1870s and 1880s, as the United Kingdom avidly built its empire in Asia and Africa, its rampant expansionism came under the scrutiny of its first and oldest colony, Ireland. Some Irish considered themselves loyal subjects and proud participants in the imperial enterprise, but others drew sharp analogies between the crown's ongoing conquests of distant lands and its centuries-old oppression of their homeland. The Irish were aware of how the British army had brutally suppressed Afghans, Egyptians, Zulus, and Boers-and how returning troops were then redeployed to quash dissent in Ireland. In Irish eyes, misrule by British officials and absentee landlords mirrored imperial oppression across the globe. Paul Townend shows that a growing critique of British imperialism shaped a rapidly evolving Irish political consciousness and was a crucial factor giving momentum to the Home Rule and Land League campaigns. Examining newspaper accounts, the rich political cartoons of the era, and the rhetoric and actions of Irish nationalists, he argues that anti-imperialism was a far more important factor in the formation of the independence movement than has been previously recognized in historical scholarship.

Bibliographic references:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-304) and index.

Contents:

Irish imperial politics and the imperial dimensions of Buttite home rule -- The Afghan and Zulu wars and anti-imperial Irish politics -- Between the wars -- Liberal imperialism: the Irish and the Boer war -- Anti-imperialism and the social movement of nationalism: the Egyptian crisis in Ireland -- The changing politics of Irish anti-imperialism -- Anti-imperialism and the limits of political possibility: nationalists, home rule, and the Sudan -- The first home rule bill and the contours of Irish anti-imperialism.